North West Archives - Page 124 of 128

12Jun

By Hazel BumbyNo Comments

North West

Hushabye Mountain – Hope Mill Theatre

This was a theatre trip of many firsts for me, not only had I never heard of Hushabye Mountain (except from watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and singing it myself); this was my first Hope Mill performance. And all I can say is ‘wow’. I won’t lie, I had read the synopsis and thought that the subject matter might be a little depressing but what these six amazing artists achieve, is something wonderful. Yes, you read that right – just a cast of 6 people who not only acted but seamlessly changed ‘scenery’ whilst already into the next scene and working in costume changes into that scene. I put scenery into inverted commas as there wasn’t any to speak of really, no elaborate drops (except for the Church and the star cloth – and who doesn’t love a star cloth) no big flats to move, jus...

The Last Five Years – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

8Jun

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

The Last Five Years – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The award winning The Last Five Years has got to be one of my favourite musicals. With a stunning musical score by Jason Robert Brown, the one act musical requires actors with a broad range both vocally and emotionally to portray the joy, hardship and heartbreak Cathy and Jamie endure throughout. With a tiny cast of just two actors, and directed by new Garrick Artistic Director Joseph Meighan, The Last Five Years is an intimate look at the relationship between two New Yorkers: a writer and an actress The musical follows their love story in a fresh, modern way, as its unconventional structure tells Cathy’s story in reverse and Jamie’s chronologically. You may have seen Hollywood star Anna Kendrick and Broadway sensation Jeremy Jordan in the film adaptation released in 2014, so Ella- M...

5Jun

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Judy & Liza – Floral Pavillion

What an absolute joy and honour it was to be able to be at the first show at the Floral Pavilion, whose auditorium has been closed to patrons since March last year. The staff and regulations that have been put in place to allow people to feel safe, have definitely done just that. And what a show to reopen the theatre with! Judy & Liza is a bit like the concert a lot of people would have wanted to see, but never got the chance to. 45 years after they performed together at the London Palladium, this vaudeville-style concert of a show tells us a brief history of Frances ‘Baby’ Gumm and her daughter Liza May Minnelli. It’s been well thought out and put together so well, that at times you forgot you were watching actors playing the roles and not the legends themselves. Helen Sheals as Ju...

2Jun

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Dangerous Liaisons – The Lowry

“Well…at least we know the music” In one of the first performances to be hosted by the Lowry since the latest easing of restrictions, Northern Ballet have bounded onto stage with a revival of Dangerous Liaisons, their stunningly choreographed interpretation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ novel, set seamlessly to the familiar strings of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia. With little spoken word to guide us on our way, the overheard audience comment above reflects the biggest challenge in this adaptation – keeping up with this complex tale of two 18th century French aristocrats who goad each other into a web of seductions, leaving a trail of broken hearts in their wake. When the Viscomte de Valmont develops genuine feelings for one of his conquests, the...

31May

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Sleeping Beauty – M&S Bank Arena

Live theatre is back after over. A year of wanting and hoping it was amazing to be in an auditorium waiting for the curtain to rise. Sleeping Beauty at the M&S Bank auditorium until the 6th of June. The show had Gareth Gates (Les Miserable and Pop Idol), Bippo who is the comedy relief in the show, and Emma Grace Arends as Beauty amongst a small chorus. The show is approx. 2 hours long with one interval. Watching the show I felt it was rather flat, it’s opening weekend energy is meant to be high but I just felt underwhelmed. The music over shadowed the microphones so some parts of the vocals were lost. Moving on some lines were muddled up and Gareth Gates entered too early for his scene. Bippo however, rescued it well. It came to a point where it was a live rehearsal not an opening w...

26May

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Meet Me at Dawn – Hope Mill Theatre

“No matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief or does it?” “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” The stunning Hope Mill Theatre opened its doors to a long-awaited theatre audience eager to get back to watching live performing arts. The Covid safety screening was efficient and slick where the front of house staff guided you through from the box office to the bar area where they had tables with sectioned screens and table service to minimise movement. British playwright, screenwriter and director Zinnie Harris’ Meet Me at Dawn was first performed at the Traverse Theatre in Scotland in 2017 at the age of 48 her plays have been translated and performed in many countries and she has directed for a number of theatres, including the Royal Shakespear...

24May

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

C-O-N-T-A-C-T – Salford Quays

A young woman, Sarah (Chloe Gentles), goes about her day in silence, troubled by erratic thoughts and a pain in her sternum that won’t go away. When she sits on a park bench, lost in thought, a stranger (Cellan Scott) tries to strike up a conversation which she initially spurns. But all is not as it appears, and soon she is propelled on an emotional journey that will change her life forever. The idea behind this production from C-O-N-T-A-C-T theatre is intriguing. Set entirely outside, the audience follows the actors around an outdoor environment, watching their movements whilst listening to voice-over and music provided by a digital app on their smart phones. This is both a refreshing change from more traditional theatre experiences and a timely approach in the context of the pandemic ...

The Show Must Go On – St Luke’s Bombed Out Church

24May

By Anne PritchardNo Comments

North West

The Show Must Go On – St Luke’s Bombed Out Church

Mark Chatterton and Sarah Nixon, writers of the infamous Rock-n-Roll panto at the Liverpool Everyman, staged every year, have adapted to the COVID pandemic by writing this new theatre show. The production is a specially scaled down version of a full musical the husband-and-wife team were working on with composer and musician Ben Beer when the pandemic struck. Because theatres are not currently allowed to open, it is being staged outdoors at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church, in the heart of Liverpool. Luckily for the audience, it had been a surprisingly warm, sunny day, after a few previous days of torrential rain and gusty winds. But, at the start of the performance the sky was still blue and the late evening sun was edging its way into the makeshift amphitheatre, through t...

23May

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Theatreland – Theatre Royal St Helens

Curtis Productions bring Theatreland to the Theatre Royal in St Helens. After numerous tries and a desperate change of plans through no fault of their own at the 11th hour, the Theatre Royal stepped up and brought their theatre opening date forward to help produce this spectacular piece. And what a show it was. If this is how live theatre is going to burst back in to our lives then I'm so excited to see what's to come. Direction from Adam and Charlie Curtis and Musical Direction from Adam Curtis, what this company have managed to bring in such a short time in a new venue is something to be extremely proud of. From the minute the lights went down and the first couple of notes started, the magic was there. The show burst to life and it continued to impress and wow us right through to t...

Play Up from Lantern Writers – St Lukes Bombed Out Church

22May

By Bob TowersNo Comments

North West

Play Up from Lantern Writers – St Lukes Bombed Out Church

It was a subdued Light Night Festival in Liverpool this year due to several days of constant downpour and the slow and cumbersome emergence from lockdown restrictions. Lantern Writers (a Liverpool-based playwright collective) staged eight short plays early evening at a small outdoor area in front of a small but hardy audience accommodated under a tiny cover and out-numbered by near-by drinkers. Child's Play. Written and directed by Mark Davoren With Natasha Hale, Chris Hird and Jen Morrow This piece relates some of the writer’s own memories as a boy growing up with two older sisters who conspire to exclude him from their games. The girl's mantra is 'I don't like boys' and he is the fall guy for their tricks with only occasional mediation shouted from an off-stage father. Clearl...